Kendrick Lamar Duckworth has just made history.
Nowhere in the Pulitzer Prize’s 101 year history of recognizing the most impactful cultural milestones in literature, journalism, and music, had the esteemed designation ever gone to a piece of hip-hop — that is, until DAMN. For those that never thought hip-hop would take it this far, Kendrick Lamar has now provided the fork to eat those words with. For the first time ever, the Pulitzer Prize has been awarded to a rapper, and ironically, it came before he could add an Album of the Year Grammy to his credentials. At this point though, suffice it to say that Kendrick’s grandeur has surpassed that of a golden gramophone anyway.
Now, as if there was conceivably a shred of doubt left, Kendrick Lamar has undisputedly cemented himself as one of contemporary music’s most prolific writers. What’s more is that this isn’t just a landmark music award going to a more than deserving musician, but a signal to the changing of the times. Rap is more than rhymes and 808’s, it’s an art form, and with a young crop of artists on the rise directly influenced by Lamar’s masterwork on DAMN., the future of hip-hop looks especially bright.
